I played with a local band a few weeks ago, V is for Villains. I found out about them a couple months before that, and decided to learn their music on bass. I ended up learning their whole debut album, and posting covers on facebook. The band saw them, and offered to let me join them onstage for a show, so I picked one of the big local anime conventions, Anime Midwest.

And here's the thing - like I've mentioned already, I'm a trans woman. The thing is, I'm not completely out to everybody. But I used this as an opportunity to bring things out, just a little more. See, the thing with V is for Villains is that everybody in the band has a persona, and a really damn cool costume to go with it, so of course I needed one, too. And so I came up with Madam Duskheart, and went full femme. Lipstick, high-heeled boots, skirt, fake boobs, the lot.

And it went over amazing. When I explained the full situation to the band, they immediately asked which name I preferred to use, what pronouns I wanted, and the singer was even like "Oh and I use "dude" and "man" and stuff like that all the time, completely gender neutral, but if that's an issue just tell me"

And then when it came to actually being onstage, I don't think anybody even realized I wasn't a cis woman - and I was up there with two other cis women, so I'm proud of that. My friend Lauren, who was there, and who I'm okay with using my birthname, told me about something that happened during the show.

See, my involvement was never announced by the band. We kept it a complete surprise, to everybody by my friends. So needless to say there were people wondering just who the .... I was. One person asked that out loud, and Lauren, just reflexively, since she's known me more as Ben than Lily, was like "Oh that's Ben."

And the person just turned around and was like "What? No, that's a girl..."

And tbh, it was that tiny little moment that made an awesome night even better.

I played with a local band a few weeks ago, V is for Villains. I found out about them a couple months before that, and decided to learn their music on bass. I ended up learning their whole debut album, and posting covers on facebook. The band saw them, and offered to let me join them onstage for a show, so I picked one of the big local anime conventions, Anime Midwest.

And here's the thing - like I've mentioned already, I'm a trans woman. The thing is, I'm not completely out to everybody. But I used this as an opportunity to bring things out, just a little more. See, the thing with V is for Villains is that everybody in the band has a persona, and a really damn cool costume to go with it, so of course I needed one, too. And so I came up with Madam Duskheart, and went full femme. Lipstick, high-heeled boots, skirt, fake boobs, the lot.

And it went over amazing. When I explained the full situation to the band, they immediately asked which name I preferred to use, what pronouns I wanted, and the singer was even like "Oh and I use "dude" and "man" and stuff like that all the time, completely gender neutral, but if that's an issue just tell me"

And then when it came to actually being onstage, I don't think anybody even realized I wasn't a cis woman - and I was up there with two other cis women, so I'm proud of that. My friend Lauren, who was there, and who I'm okay with using my birthname, told me about something that happened during the show.

See, my involvement was never announced by the band. We kept it a complete surprise, to everybody by my friends. So needless to say there were people wondering just who the .... I was. One person asked that out loud, and Lauren, just reflexively, since she's known me more as Ben than Lily, was like "Oh that's Ben."

And the person just turned around and was like "What? No, that's a girl..."

And tbh, it was that tiny little moment that made an awesome night even better.

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Oh wow, I didn't know you were trans as well. Explains why you loved my "Boobs bring the tone" joke I made to Fred Brum way back in the past. xD
Good on you for being who you are and not letting anyone bring you down. I just ordered some awesome black lip color from the Jeffrey Star cosmetics line and I plan to work a more goth look into my style. I'd love to do kind of what you're doing for my blackened death metal project ShadoWraith while using the stage moniker "Countess Bathory".

It makes my day anytime I'm out and about and get referred to as "ma'am" by cashiers and the like.

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It's rather funny - I actually get that quite a lot when I go out in just shorts and a T-shirt, no effort to pass as feminine made on my part. They usually quickly correct themselves, though I've noticed that happening less and less lately. I figure I have the distinct advantage of being very non-masculine at all.

I looked fab as .... that night, and I am damn proud of that costume. Just gotta reshape the mask, apparently it was made by the singer's mom, and she doesn't actually form it to a face mold, she just pinches the bridge of the nose...

Funny story - after the set, when we're out by the merch table, I look down and my right boob is just - gone. I panicked, thought it fell out backstage or onstage or something.

Turns out it just shifted a little in my bra, to be over my sternum. GOTTA FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SECURE THOSE A LITTLE

Honestly tho, after an hour of jumping around as much as I did (and let me tell you, I felt it for the next 3 days) I'm surprised all that happened was that one sock fell down a little, and one boob got slightly dislocated.

That's just creepy. I'd work on, ya know, not doing that, because it's just gross behaviour. Or at the very least, keep that crap to yourself, man. Nobody wants to know that you imagine strangers naked.

Glad you have a picture on your profile, now I know who to avoid at shows in the city.

Welcome to the harem of gorgeous women that dudes wish they could have. My application there is still pending. Lucky bitch.

And yeah, I too face a weird battle between laziness and dysphoria. Laziness and apathy usually win on most days.

I just love that avatar. A community that can't poke fun at itself isn't a good one. Coincidentally enough, I was reading through my Sociology textbook and it was covering deviance and why some sociologists claim that it is vital to the health of society as a whole. Glad that I can do my part for the community.

Look up our current prime minister, Tony Abbott - parliament recently had a vote on whether to hold a conscience vote on gay marriage; he told his party that anybody from his front benchers would be back benched if they voted in favour of it. We do not get a conscience vote.
He also passed a bill making it a criminal offence worthy of jail time for doctors working in detention centres to report cases of human rights violation perpetrated by those running the facilities. Scary sad times for this country.

Look up our current prime minister, Tony Abbott - parliament recently had a vote on whether to hold a conscience vote on gay marriage; he told his party that anybody from his front benchers would be back benched if they voted in favour of it. We do not get a conscience vote.
He also passed a bill making it a criminal offence worthy of jail time for doctors working in detention centres to report cases of human rights violation perpetrated by those running the facilities. Scary sad times for this country.

I just joined a newly formed gypsy punk band and the bass player is currently taking hormones and identifies female. She said she can't wait to lop off her manparts And is currently my favorite member of this project.